There’s that uncomfortable juxtaposition of words again: “Tesla” and “fire.” This time was quite an accomplishment by the electric automaker’s publicity department: they kept the Irvine, Calif. garage fire quiet for over a month. The secrecy expired on the November 15 incident when the Orange County Fire Authority attributed the incident to the EV’s re-powering set-up, according to a report obtained by Reuters.

Tesla’s once-Teflon Elon Musk has another lithium ion battery fire to explain. Two Model S fires in less than a month have knocked Musk down to earth, while Tesla’s stock has been brought back into this planet’s atmosphere. Despite the Volt findings and the Tesla causes, all is not right in the electric transportation sector and taxpayers ought not to be forced into financing the speculation.

Last month solar companies Spectra Watt in New York, Evergreen Solar in Massachusetts, and Solyndra Solar in California went bankrupt. All companies had extensive subsidies from state and federal governments. Taxpayer losses most…